Kids Build Battlestar Galactica Viper Simulator in Garage

Talk about fracking talented! These guys have started building a full, virtual, BSG Viper simulator in their garage. The Bay Area high school kids are funding the project through Kickstarter and will unveil it this May, at Maker Faire 2012. I found out about this from Mashable, which says "The basic idea: mount the fuselage of a small plane (a Piper PA-28) on a motion-control platform capable of 360 degree rotation across two axes. 'This design allows for considerably more motion around the pitch axis than commercial entertainment systems, such as those found at the Smithsonian Air and Space museum,' write the precocious high schoolers on their site."

Check out the video below for the full scoop. Interestingly, when Mashable started delivering news via video, the online social media site had an opportunity to move away from the nasally, predictable rise/fall speech patterns we all love to hate coming from our local nightly newscasters. Instead, sadly, they seem to be copying the sing-song approach note for note. So much for progress... still, if you can get past the talking head, the rest of the video is pitch-perfect! SO SAY WE ALL!!

Christmas trees aren't for everyone. Some people can't fit a fir inside their cramped abodes, while others are turned off by the expense, or by the idea of bugs hitchhiking their way inside. Fake trees are always an option, but a new trend sweeping Instagram—pineapples as mini-Christmas "trees"—might convince you to forego the forest vibe for a more tropical aesthetic.

As Thrillist reports, the pineapple-as-Christmas-tree idea appears to have originated on Pinterest before it, uh, ripened into a social media sensation. Transforming a pineapple into a Halloween “pumpkin” requires carving and tea lights, but to make the fruit festive for Christmas all one needs are lights, ornaments, swaths of garland, and any other tiny tchotchkes that remind you of the holidays. The final result is a tabletop decoration that's equal parts Blue Hawaii and Miracle on 34th Street.

In need of some decorating inspiration? Check out a variety of “Christmas tree” pineapples below.